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Contact:
Ralph Derickson
Phillip W.
Roeder, UK political
science professor, will monitor the new inmate health services program
under an agreement between UK and the Kentucky
Department of Corrections.
Under the
new network, an inmate who is taken to an infirmary at a corrections
institution or jail will be examined and diagnosed, and, if the inmate
needs specialized treatment, the procedure will be scheduled with a
caregiver identified within the network.
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LEXINGTON, Ky.
(Dec. 19, 2003) -- The
University of Kentucky and the Kentucky
Department of Corrections (KDoC) have initiated a new Kentucky
Corrections Health Services Network (KCHSN) aimed at saving millions of
dollars for health care services while providing more effective care for
the state’s inmate population.
The project, which became effective in
October 2003 under a memorandum of agreement between the Kentucky
Department of Corrections and UK, establishes a statewide
health network that delivers hospital and specialty care for
approximately 16,000 state inmates.
The innovative public-private
partnership, with statewide coverage using hospitals, clinics, medical
doctors, and other providers working under contracts with private health
care networks, contracts out the operation of the network to a private
sector firm selected through a competitive bid process. The firm is
responsible for data management including outcomes assessment, ad hoc
reporting, third party administration, and case management, incorporating
utilization review, care pathways, and continuous quality improvement.
Although contracted out to the private sector, the Department of
Corrections maintains network control through a project monitor at UK.
Phillip W. Roeder, UK political science professor
and UK
monitor for the network, said that in the first six weeks of operation
the new system saved 35 percent over previous costs. Since the annual
health care costs for inmates held in 12 Kentucky prisons and 75 jails around
the state is $15 million, a substantial savings of health care dollars is
expected.
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The cost of implementing the network
in the fist years is about $2 million and will be substantially less than
the cost savings provided by the network, Roeder said.
Even more savings will be achieved
through an improved inmate-patient screening process, Roeder said.
“Every time someone does not stay an unnecessary day in a hospital
saves the state and the taxpayer a lot of money,” he added.
“Using state-of-the-art management information systems will provide
more effective tracking of inmates and their care.”
Roeder said that prior to KCHSN,
specialty and hospital care for state inmates was obtained in an ad hoc
manner by each institution with limited control and coordination by the
Medical Branch of the Department of Corrections in Frankfort.
Similar to a traditional HMO, the
KCHSN pays for medical procedures, Roeder added. The price of the
procedures is established through discounts for health services based on
provider competition for network patients.
Under the new network, an inmate who
is taken to an infirmary at a corrections institution or jail will be
examined and diagnosed, and, if the inmate needs specialized treatment,
the procedure will be scheduled with a caregiver identified within the
network.
If the process is uncomplicated, the
procedure will be scheduled, but if it is difficult or complicated, the
network and ultimately the Kentucky Department of Corrections must
approve the treatment.
Roeder, who helped start the Master of
Health Administration program in the UK
Martin School of Public Policy and Administration and has taught
health policy for some time, said UK’s work with the
Department of Corrections is a natural outgrowth of that academic
activity. “This project provides the opportunity to test theories
about health care management and innovations in health care for those in
the corrections system in a real-world setting,” Roeder noted.
This new cooperative venture with the
Kentucky Department of Corrections should also offer UK and the University of Louisville with their
large medical centers increased research possibilities for both health
care and medical services administration, Roeder said. “Given the
broad range of pathologies in the inmate population, we have a lot to
learn about managing health care and providing effective
treatments,” Roeder said.
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